Dude, he was good.
I've never seen a pitcher this good...at the plate. Oh, and he can pitch a bit, too.
I'm really not kidding when I say that Father Alou needs to think about batting Lowry higher in the order. He looks a sight better at the plate than Deivi Cruz does most times, and seeing how Lowry's stats are better than Cruz' (.282/.333/.410 vs .258/.295/.374, respectively), I think that it's a valid consideration. Did you know Lowry's .744 OPS is better than all Giants position players except Ray Durham, Moises Alou, Lance Niekro, and was better than Randy Winn's, too, until Winn's recent surge since joining the Giants.
They've pinch-hit Lowry a couple of times this season, already, but I want to see a little thinking outside the box and see the guy hit maybe 7th or 8th in the order.
Well, anyhow, onto that little pitching thing the guy does, too.
For all of us pessismists (or, realists, if you prefer) who realize the Giants won't be coming back in this race, Lowry and Kevin Corriea can give us reasons to get excited over these games. Despite the fact that Florida had neither Carlos Delgado or Paul LoDuca, you still have to get excited when the guy can totally shut down a playoff-contending team on four hits over 7 1/3 innings.
I feel a bit sorry for Dontrelle Willis, who finally pitched well against the Giants -- if you had told the guy before the game that he was going to go eight strong innings, allow only one run, and still lose...heh, he'd have been at least a little skeptical, I'm sure.
And, before I forget, how's about that Jeremy Accardo? He came in with men on 1st and 2nd base in the 8th, and got an inning ending double play on one, single pitch to Miguel Cabrera. And we can't forget Todd Linden, either, because he got himself a solid single and made a crucial catch in the 7th to end the inning with two on and two outs -- in foul ground, right before almost going ass-over-appetite on the Marlins low bullpen fence in RF. Doesn't sound like anything you haven't seen before, until you add in the fact that Accardo, along with Linden, didn't get any sleep the night before while finding a way to get to Florida to join the team.
Apparently when someone first set their flight up out of Fresno, CA, where the Giants AAA affiliate is based, they misread the AM/PM of the flight. So when Accardo and Linden when to catch the plane at 9PM (they had to be pulled from a game Linden was actually playing in just to go), the flight didn't exist -- it was a 9AM flight. So, they did what would occur naturally to anyone with a brain: they drove for three hours to San Francisco to catch a red-eye flight that stopped in Dallas before flying on to Miami.
Ah, youth. Ah, persistence. Is there any doubt these two guys want to stick and stay with the big club? Apparently it's likely with Linden (hooray!), as Felipe was quoted saying that Linden would indeed probably remain with the club the rest of the season, and get a good amount of playing time while doing so. Some of that might come at the expense of O&B favorite Jason Ellison, but it's something that makes sense and has to be done. Ellison is a handy 4th outfielder (a newer version of Calvin Murray who every now and then actually gets a hit or two), but Linden's offensive potential must be tested -- it's definitely head and shoulders above Elly's, that's for sure.
Oh, and yes, Randy Winn. Things like this seem destined to happen, what with Murphy and his Law always hanging around me. When you consider that the offense for three of the Giants seven wins in their last 14 games have come off of homers from Winn (in two games), and Brad Hennessey, well, it really shouldn't fill you with confidence. But those wins count just the same, and Winn has provided the big blows offensively for two games in a row, now.
Despite my still-firm opinion of the trade (bad), I must admit, Winn does seem to "fit" in with the club.
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